


An Eagle's Lament

by myecstasyisfullofhate



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, One-Sided Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Pre/Post Timeskip, but only kinda?? she has the memories but thinks they never happened, edelgard remembers divine pulses, silver snow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:54:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25002727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myecstasyisfullofhate/pseuds/myecstasyisfullofhate
Summary: 5 times that Edelgard von Hresvelg cried; once as a child, twice as a student, twice as an emperor.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, My Unit | Byleth/Edelgard Von Hresvelg (one-sided)
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

**Garland Moon, 1174**

* * *

Edelgard von Hresvelg looked out on the room, shrouded in darkness, only the slight outlines of chains and corpses visible in the night. It was cold, and the smell of dried blood hung in the air, as it always did. Her sister, Aelina, was silent, lying against the wall opposite to Edelgard; deathly still, like someone petrified by a gorgon's glare. Edelgard tried to move, but the pain was too much- the bandaged cut at her wrist seared with pain at the slightest touch, the flow of blood seeming to never stop once the strange men had tampered with it. Even if she tried to work through this pain, she knew that the shackles around her ankles would restrain her. The small girl let out a sob at her weakness. She couldn't do anything, and she hated it.

When she put back her head against the coarse stone of the wall, she could hear the voices of her abusers from outside, their words sounding like venom incarnate. Her ears were ringing with pain, inhibiting her healing, but there were a few words she could make out; the most curious being 'hair loss', 'Seiros', 'Flames', and 'dead'. Three of them made sense to the princess; she had always borne a Minor Crest of Seiros, inherited from her father's bloodline. She was one of two siblings who had borne this crest, her older brother Xavier having once possessed a Major one. This is the other words wove themselves into the story; her brother had been the first that these vile men had used for their experiments, and the first to perish at their hand. She remembered the process that his body had gone through, decomposing before her eyes as if he was already a corpse; first the loss of hair, then loss of body fat, and finally complete paralysis. It wasn't death, in the sense that his heart still beat, but as the kidnappers had said, his brain had ceased working. Edelgard rose her uninjured arm, bringing her hand to the small tufts of stark white hair sprouting out of her mostly bald head. As with most of her siblings, she had lost her hair after the experiments, but hers was the only one that seemed to grow back. in a way, this gave her hope, but in others, it terrified her to no end.

Her gaze reaffirmed on her sister, still silent, still unmoving, death itself looking back through Aelina's glassy eyes; the wretched rats already gathering around her, a clear sign that her sister had died. For the first time in her life, she was truly alone. Helplessly, the princess lifted her hands, ignoring her pain, desperately trying to break free of the shackles binding her to this dungeon. She would find a weapon-whether an axe or a sword- and fight her way out; or rejoin her siblings in the process, blissfully unaware of the pain they went through in their deaths. She had no expectations for the chains to shatter at her rebellion- expecting to just be pulled back by their hatred- yet they gave way, cracking and shooting apart within a flash of light. 

This had not been the first time her crest had triggered,- it had emerged many times before in Faerghus, when training with the prince who's name seemed to elude her. He had a crest too- it was much more powerful, yet more volatile. There had been many times she wished she had such a crest in the dungeon; breaking free of her shackles, saving her family, and exposing these dastards for their treachery. For a while, it had seemed a far cry- and now, it seemed too late to be helpful, shining around her in an admittedly unusual purple light. As she lurched out of the glimmer towards her sister, she felt strangely empowered- her scar no longer burning in pain, the marks left by her shackles not disturbing her, the conflict within her mind settling for a few moments. She was there, alone, holding her sister's corpse as an escape from reality's cruelty. 

She heard the door open, but didn't look back. She held onto her sister, tears spilling from her eyes, as if she was the last thing in the world- the only thing preventing her from spiraling into insanity. Her kidnappers broke an awkward silence after a few minutes, their examination of the chains and the samples of blood they had taken from the floor proving fruitful. She heard murmurs of 'The Crest of Flames' and 'the true emperor' which she ignored mostly, only understanding their implications. 

She had been a success. She was the sole survivor of these experiments, and exactly that these people who slithered around in the darkness craved.

She hated it. She hated being the last one alive, the only one deemed worthy by the cruel goddess to live, those who she cared about suffering for her power. As she was taken from the dungeon, Aelina's corpse dragged away, Edelagrd von Hresvelg swore a silent oath. 

For the sake of her family and for all the poor souls whose lives were traded for her existence... For their sake, she would build a world where such meaningless sacrifice was never again sanctioned. She would punish and destroy the people who had tormented her, and drive the false goddess into the ground. She swore it on her life, and her siblings' last breaths.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**Verdant Rain Moon, 1180**

* * *

Edelgard von Hresvelg looked out on the classroom of the Black Eagles, the air still with tension and guilt. The room was completely empty- sans the silent Dorothea and Sylvain, sitting together alone in the corner- which gave Edelgard the time to think over what had happened. One sentence seemed to ring in her mind- _what a waste of a talented general._ It was true- Miklan had the ability to rally a group of normal, lowlife thieves- people who's lives had been stolen by the goddess' regime- and successfully stole a heavily protected holy relic. Even if morally wrong, that was an admirable feat of leadership.

Edelgard's actions as the Flame Emperor, although necessary, left a sour taste in the back of her throat. Collaborating with her torturers- those who had taken the lives of so many whom she cared for- was despicable, and was an action she expected she would never give herself forgiveness for. Either way, it was necessary. And she hated that.

She also hated having to hold back her emotions, despite the necessity. People would not follow an emperor who showed weakness, yet that was all Edelgard ever felt- the need to rely on people who had hurt her to succeed, her inability to help her father with his pain, and now- she wasn't even the sole bearer of the Crest of Flames, as another who bore it naturally had come forth. She adored the Professor, but she couldn't help but feel jealous- jealous that all that she had gone through to achieve her power was just possessed by another naturally. She felt pathetic; she felt emotional; both emotions which did not belong in her body.

Edelgard leant down a little too hard on her quill, snapping it in half. The princess cursed under her breath, standing to find a new one, before a familiar figure entered the classroom, her serene presence calming the princess.

"Greetings, Edelgard. I assume you have been well? I'm checking on everyone- a lot of people have been affected by the horrible things we witnessed earlier." her professor began with, a small smile on her perfect face. Edelgard hated it. She hated how such a perfect person had just appeared- out of nowhere- and seemed to make Edelgard's path so much clearer.

They had first met in Remire Village, where an order to attack the Officer's Academy was followed by a pack of bandits. Luckily, no-one was unharmed, but Edelgard still felt immense regret; she had nearly gotten her classmates killed in pursuit of her ambitions, and dragged seemingly innocent mercenaries into her war. So, she was surprised when they showed her warmth, showed her kindness, even when they had no idea that the order was hers. It made no sense- Edelgard was finally casting out emotion in pursuit of her goals, and now there was someone who made it flood back in like a river at an open dam.

Byleth's presence calmed her, made her seem powerful- she was there during Edelgard's darkest nights and supported her ambitions, even when she alluded to a dark future. She knew it was not her professor's business, yet she felt guilty for not telling her about her truth.

"I am well." Edelgard replied, casting these petty emotions from her mind. "I assume the Archbishop was pleased with your performance. Did you return the Lance of Ruin?"

Upon a shake of Byleth's head, she continued; "I'm glad. Sylvain must be overjoyed as well." The princess had a memory of Sylvain heading to the convoy from upstairs, the Lance in hand, glowing a fiery red due to the reaction with his crest. He did not look 'Overjoyed', per see, but Edelgard did not know him well enough to analyse his feelings, so she simply assumed the most likely outcome.

Byleth smiled, shaking her head solemnly. "Sylvain wasn't happy. Even with his brother's constant abuse, he was family. A member of family who 'needlessly hated him due to his crest' the last sentence being verbatim."

Edelgard sighed, biting her lip. Now she probably looked like an idiot- but why would she care? She wasn't there to please her professor in every aspect, despite how much she wanted to. "I keep thinking about what Gilbert told us, anyways." She said, attempting to distract attention off of her blunder.

"About House Gautier?"

"Yes." Edelgard said, glad that her teacher understood her intentions. "Miklan was discarded by his family because he was born without a crest. Then, he became a masterful thief and gathered enough ruffians to not only steal a sacred relic, but also a fortress! Whether he was right or wrong, he was a gifted leader, gone too soon. He could've been a great asset to Fodlan, don't you agree? What a waste."

Byleth nodded, gesturing for her to continue. Even if she despised the way that the Professor made her feel, her ability to listen was very admirable. "It's true that a Crest can increase your magical abilities and allow you to wield the full might of a heroes' relic. Why, it's true that someone able to sustain two would likely be unstoppable. However, I believe that one cannot measure a leader's worth based solely on whether or not they bear a crest. There are plenty of talented people in the world without one- like Dorothea, who's a talented songstress and mage; or Hubert, my retainer and best friend. It's all so pointless- so many people die due to this outdated system- and sometimes- sometimes they're people that you care a lot about."

Edelgard cursed herself for letting these human emotions take control of her, but found some solace in how the Professor's face scrunched and then relaxed, clearly understanding the truth behind the princess' words when Byleth's face softened into a warm smile. She wondered if she revealed too much, but this thought was cut off by the Professor's voice; "Why is everyone obsessed with crests? I mean, I didn't even know i bore one until a few months ago, and yet mine is supposedly incredibly powerful and lost to history- yet Alois and you three were intrigued by me all the same. They've always seemed so pointless, to me. I simply cannot understand."

"People believe Crests are blessings from the goddess, that they're necessary to maintain order in Fodlan." Edelgard began, spitting out the words as if they were filth. "But those people are wrong. Crests are to blame for this brutal, irrational world we live in. Their power is granted to only a select few, whom for some reason we elevate and allow to rule the world."

Eyes wide with intrigue, Byketh continued her questioning; "But why do we see crests as so important? So powerful?"

"Because they're seen as gifts of the goddess of a church who rules over Fodlan with an unforgiving, iron grasp. I-I know I should not be saying such things in such a hallowed place, but it's merely my opinion. I believe that everyone should have the free will to choose whether they follow the church or not, and such an organisation should not hold so much power over Fodlan." Edelgard stopped herself, not wanting to reveal too much still. She decided to end the conversation quickly before more questions betrayed her facade. "When I went through my past, that I have told you about? I vowed to make a world like that. And I will reach that world, no matter what it takes."

Her Professor smiled, nodding at her. "It's a truly noble goal, Edelgard. i can promise, as long as you do not lose your way, I'll stand with you until the end." The blue-haired woman turned, head tilted back to the princess. 'It's late. You should sleep. Goodnight, Edelgard."

Watching her professor leave, Edelgard felt a slight tear roll down her face, shocked at the Professor's kindness. Despite regret towards revealing so much, the thought of having the Professor at her side was so tempting, yet so intimidating. Nonetheless, Edelgard slept that night dreaming of a future where they were together in a perfect world. For the first time, Edelgard thought that maybe she could achieve this world whilst holding onto emotion.


End file.
